It should come as no surprise to anybody who follows this blog that I love hematology and immunology! In previous posts I’ve written about various immune-mediated problems, including immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, and immune-mediated polyarthropathy. This week I’m sharing information about another immune-mediated condition: immune-mediated neutropenia or IMN. I…
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Perianal Fistula in Dogs – A Major Pain in the Butt!
Derriere discussions can’t really be classified as typical dinner discussion. Tush talk isn’t exactly refined dialogue. Nevertheless, the bottoms of our canine companions can develop medical and surgical issues. We can’t be scared to broach the topic. So, this week that’s exactly what I’m doing. One of the more painful…
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Myasthenia Gravis – When the Muscles & Nerves Don’t Talk
Nerves send vital signals to muscles throughout the body. When these chemical signals don’t interact with muscles normally, one possible result is profound muscle weakness. A unique disease caused by this very scenario is called myasthenia gravis, and has been documents in dogs, cats, and humans. This week I share…
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IBD – Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Dogs & Cats
I evaluate patients with chronic gastrointestinal signs like vomiting and diarrhea multiple times per day. Many of these fur babies are referred to me by their family veterinarians with a concern for inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. But what is IBD? This week I endeavor to answer that important question…
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Immune Mediated Polyarthropathy – A Joint Attack
My favorite aspect of practicing medicine is treating diseases caused by dysfunction of the immune system. In previous blogs, I reviewed two common immune-mediated diseases – immune-mediated hemolytic anemia and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. A less commonly appreciated condition of immune system dysfunction is immune-mediated polyarthropathy or IMPA, a disease where the immune…